The House of Representatives moved closer to increasing the retirement age for Nigerian police officers, passing for a second reading on Tuesday a bill that proposes raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 years or extending the service years from 35 to 40, depending on which comes first.
The Police Act Amendment Bill, co-sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Abubakar Yalleman, aims to leverage the experience and expertise of seasoned officers, retain skilled personnel, and cut training and recruitment costs.
“This experience is needed, especially in this time of insecurity when experienced police officers are crucial in tackling security challenges in the country,” Yalleman emphasized during the debate.
The bill also seeks to boost police morale, performance, and job satisfaction by allowing officers to serve longer. “Improving the morale, performance, and job satisfaction of police officers is vital, as is addressing the shortage of experienced personnel,” the sponsors noted.
In addition to the Police Act Amendment Bill, the House considered a bill to remove the requirement for public servants to declare their spouses’ assets. The bill, sponsored by Olawale Raji of Epe Federal Constituency, seeks to delete Section 23(7) of the Code of Conduct Act, arguing it conflicts with the President’s constitutional prerogative of mercy.
Raji argued, “The Code of Conduct Bureau Act’s requirement for public officers to declare their spouses’ assets is out of tune with the principles of fairness. The Constitution states that any law conflicting with it is null and void.”
However, House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda defended the existing provision, asserting it prevents public officers from hiding stolen wealth under their spouses’ names. Chinda also suggested lowering the age at which children of public officeholders must declare assets from 21 to 18, stating, “At 18, a child can take responsibility for themselves.”
Following the debates, the House referred the bill to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act to the Committee on Anti-Corruption. The bill to amend the Police Act was referred to the Committee on Police Affairs for further legislative action.